Splash Biography

Come learn about, see with your own eyes, and maybe even befriend the incredible water bear! As this miniature beast is the first member of the animal kingdom to successfully survive exposure to outer space, become a model for cutting-edge cryptobiosis research, and recently make news headlines about helping solve the quantum superposition of living organisms paradigm, you might be surprised to learn that the water bear (a transparent microscopic invertebrate with eight legs, claws, and eye spots that belongs to the phylum Tardigrada) can actually be found in virtually any film of water, fresh or marine - even in your backyard. As an oddball of the animal kingdom, you probably won’t learn about tardigrades in your high school biology class, but come learn the little-known history of the phylum (consisting of over 1000 species), how to collect and view the adorable critter on your own with just a few basic tools, and build up your repertoire on the most recent tardigrade research with applications to medicine, molecular biology, systematics, ecology, and even quantum physics. We’ll have virtual demonstrations of live organisms and cool handouts, plus we’ll even talk about ways that YOU can contribute the growing pool of tardigrade knowledge. Before you know it, you’ll be your local water bear expert!